Published at 23rd of January 2026 7:33 am

Chapter 2 Introductions

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Aubrey's lost it. It wasn't enough to release the video; she edited it too. She blurred everyone's faces except for Violet's and Jean-Luc's, adding photos from Jean-Luc's Instagram to show the life Violet abruptly ended. Not only that, she positively identified Violet in it, making sure to list her full name, who her family is, that she goes to QUTD, and her social media. She's out for blood. There's no going back after this. The video has spread like wildfire, being reposted and reuploaded everywhere. It's circulating all over the net, and the comments are crying for justice. Something must have happened for her to choose the nuclear route. Besides Jean-Luc dying, that is.

Despite the volatile headspace that Aubrey was in while making the video, she took several precautions. She cut out any of the parts where anyone except for Violet, Dappur, Sydney, and Aubrey is talking. She protected everyone elses anonymity, even when it would probably help not to. We got lucky. This could have become a real shit show if certain people had seen Emma's face in the video. Forty-four might just race here to kill me and her if he saw the video of the two of us together. The odds that Technologica will saddle the two of us together in the future wouldn't surprise me. I lean back in my kitchen chair, stretching my back out.

Are you expecting someone? Emma asked.

Yes, why?

Because there's a very large man walking down the hallway, heading for the door. Is he one of yours?

My first instinct is to lie or skirt the truth just a little bit. But that's not going to work anymore. I inhale, exhale, and then run my fingers through my still-too-long hair.

That would be Isaiah. Would you mind letting him in?

Already treating me like a housewife, but I don't see a ring on my finger, she said sarcastically.

And you never will if you keep being snarky, I retorted.

Emma springs off the bed, landing gracefully on her feet as she heads to the door, ignoring her pants folded over a chair. She's wearing panties and a hoodie, likely to try to spark some trouble. Unfortunately for her, Isaiah is as loyal as they come, and I wouldnt care if he stared anyway. I'm not capable of jealousy. I may have played along with Maria, but I'm not pretending to be jealous to assuage Emma. She glides across the room with the poise of a princess and the grace of a runway model. Those powers really do a lot for her. The woman I met before would've never had this level of confidence. Emma opens the door before Isaiah can even knock, and I hear the surprise in his voice at seeing her instead of me.

Hey, sorry to bother you, but I think I'm at the wrong door, Isaiah said, feigning modesty.

Hes pretending, but all thatll do is encourage her.

Nope. Youre in the right place. You're here for Eryk, right?

Y-yeah, he answered, still acting meek.

Oh, Darling, we have company, Emma sang sweetly.

Enough, the two of you, I said, making my way over to the two of them. Isaiah, come in here and shut the goddamn door. Emma quit fucking around. He cant be seen spending too long here.

Oh, yeah, the voyeur and your pen pal. I guess I forgot about that, she lied, her smile saccharine as she grabbed a hold of my arm tightly.

Everything good, boss? Isaiah asked, the mild persona vanishing instantly. Out comes the predator, my attack dog with killer instinct, the beast I helped create. His eyes focus, the gleam of a wolf eyeing potential prey. You got a stalker?

It is none of your concern; I am handling it, I answered, cutting off Emma from continuing to blurt out information. You brought the box truck with you, right?

Of course, he said, pulling the keys from his pocket. Shes all gassed up, ready for a night on the town.

Excellent. Emma, you can leave whenever you'd like. You have your targets, and I know you know what to do. Once you've captured them, text me, and we'll meet up for the extraction. Do you have any questions? I asked her.

Just one: why didn't you introduce me to your friend? I'm your girlfriend, she said, pouting.

Isaiah's too much of a professional to comment on her exclamation. That's why he's an excellent soldier. He stands there expressionless, waiting for me to address him again. Emma, to her credit, seems to be getting better at understanding where my lines are. Still, I'd prefer a partner who didn't feel the need for games like these. Rather than encourage her incorrigible behavior, I hold my hand out, and Isaiah tosses the keys to me.

Take these and get going, I stated, leaving no room for discussion.

Fine, I'll text you later, and you'd better respond, she said, taking the keys and walking over to grab her pants. Unsurprisingly, her walk lacks the aggressive attention-grabbing way that it had before.

I will, I responded kindly as she left my apartment.

You can ask me about her if you'd like. Nobody isn't here, just Eryk. I'm sure you're curious.

Im not. I have nothing to ask, he answered stoically.

Why is he treating me so differently? How is it that he feels less comfortable talking to me face-to-face than with the mask? Vivienne wasn't like this. She just treated me like I was Nobody, with or without the mask.

Do you want me to put the helmet on? Would that help put you at ease? I asked.

I'm not not at ease.

Isaiah. I trusted you with my identity as a reward for your loyalty and to acknowledge the effort you've put in. If you can't act normally in front of me without the helmet, then there isn't much point in meeting you in my civilian identity. I'm telling you it's okay to be curious about me; you definitely have questions, or at least opinions about what just happened. So speak up and quit pussyfooting around, I said, admonishing him a bit.

That seems to do the trick as he relaxes a bit, looking less like a Terracotta soldier and more like an actual person.

Sorry, Nobody," he said, wincing at the name drop. Before he can apologize, I wave him along. I'm just a little surprised at seeing you with your girl. Not that I thought you wouldn't have a bad lil shorty, but I guess I didn't expect her to be like that, you know?

Shes the one I met up with in Canada during my mandatory field trip; she has over four hundred bodies to her name. That whole act of hers was to try to get a reaction out of me, and if she failed at that, she was hoping to at least get you to react. She has a terrible habit of trying to test boundaries and cause problems, but we're quite compatible, ignoring that, I said.

Yeah, you must be quite compatible if you're willing to put up with someone trying to get a rise out of you. So she obviously knows about what we have going on? Isaiah asked.

No, shes aware Im a Cowl, what my power is, and that people work for me, but she doesnt know what we do, who all of you are; she doesnt even know the name Nobody, I answered.

Then whyd you have me give her the transport truck?

Because shes going to take up the mantle of the vigilante for the time being, I stated. I glance over at his face, looking to see what he thinks of my idea. His face betrays nothing. Im becoming more confident that this man will follow any plan I make. That will get tested eventually. I was planning on heading over to the base to check on the doctors progress. I know that you obviously dont have your car with you, but you can get me there, cant you?

Yeah, I can fly you over. I do have my car, though, Isaiah said, grinning. Just have to get to the garage.

Okay, I said, not biting at his ryptic hint. Let me grab my mask, and then we can go.

You got it.

I unlock the safe nestled under my bed, the one I keep all my Cowl items inside. My helmet is in its mask form currently, the white, almost alien-like appearance that adds to the impersonal nature of Nobody. Next to it is the handgun Isaiah procured for me, the serial numbers filed off to make it untraceable, along with extra magazines and a silencer. Four empty canisters sit alongside four full ones: two full of sulfuric acid, one with bleach, and one containing ammonia. Seeing those chemicals reminds me of my first run-in with The Triad and my declaration of war on them. It wasn't my most cerebral decision, but what's done is done. The urge I feel to make good on my threat is ever-present in my mind, no doubt a result of the obsessiveness that Vixens power left me with.

I leave behind my cannisters, both the full and empty ones. I also decline to grab my gun; I shouldn't have any need of one tonight. Plus, I have Isaiah with me, and there's very little I could accomplish with a gun that Isaiah couldn't do faster and more efficiently. Kai should have made decent headway into his experiments by now. The man is brilliant and is probably forgoing sleep through a carefully crafted cocktail of stimulants in order to continue his testing. I slip my mask under my shirt, and now I'm ready to go.

Let's go, you can show me what's got you so giddy, I said.

Giddy? I'm a grizzled merchant of death, a suave, charming gentleman, a fuck machine of endless stamina; I don't get giddy, Isaiah countered.

Uh-huh.

Whatever he's planning on showing me better be worth the overeager excitement radiating off him. We step out onto the third floor of the parking garage, Isaiah exiting the elevator first, checking for potential threats. I can't really rebuke him for his behavior, not after Emma let it slip that someone's been watching me at my home. I'll need to express to her again what is and isn't acceptable to share. It isn't a cute little quirk; it is a character flaw, and if she can't fix it, then I will cut her off.

You ready, Nobody? He asked me.

Yes.

Isaiah does one last look around and then puffs his chest up. Thick porous black smoke jettisons from his mouth, more and more flowing out until there's a cloud big enough to hide a shed in. The smoke starts to shrink and condense, the vague cloud shape refining and becoming denser and more compact. It takes me significantly longer than it should to realize what he's doing, but sure enough, Isaiah's mustang starts to materialize out of the smoke. How long did it take you to attune to this? Did he have to do it piece by piece or just one long session for the entire vehicle? From the huge grin on his face, it's clear how pleased he is with this, and I have to admit, being able to materialize a car at will is quite handy.

Hah, well, what do you think?

It's certainly surprising, I admitted before asking the questions that are on my mind.

It was piece by piece, and it took me months to finish it up. I was a little worried that all this effort would be for nothing, but I should've had more faith, Isaiah smiled, resting his arm on top of the hood.

Is it going to work? I asked.

Only one way to find out, he answered.

Getting through Quinstin at this hour is a pain; were crossing every block at a snail's pace. Bumper to bumper, we've made so little progress that if we had decided to walk, we might already be there. Having him fly me there is looking more and more like the better choice. It is still no small accomplishment that the car still works. I don't know why it comes as a surprise that it does. If Isaiahs power can reassemble his body from smoke, then why wouldn't it be able to do the same for his mustang?

Isaiah keeps sneaking glances at me, trying to read my mood from my facial expression. After his suggestion to use his car, getting stuck in traffic for over an hour would be enough to garner frustration from anyone. Anyone except me, anyway. He should know better than to try to figure out what I'm thinking from my face. Would I rather we be there already? Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm upset at the current situation.

I've been thinking; I, we, need more people. Not to join Momentus, but only having seven of us severely limits the plans I can make, I said, breaking the silence.

If you need something done, Nobody, I can take care of it. We can take care of it, he said confidently.

All of you are capable. I am not disappointed in anyones performance; I mean, Tuesday could be less of a nuisance and would be much more efficient if she were medicated, I said.

But? Isaiah prompted.

But what? I asked.

It sounded like there was a but coming, like you were going to finish with a compliment about Tuesday, Isaiah laughed.

Like what?

Okay, well, youre putting me on the spot here. Im gonna need some time to think of a single adjective that isnt just a synonym for crazy, he said.

Lucky for you that were stuck in traffic for the foreseeable future, I said sarcastically.

He goes quiet. The inside of the mustang is quiet, empty like the night encroaching over the day as the sun sets. Did I strike a nerve? He cant be that soft. Isaiah bursts out laughing, holding his sides.

I didnt think you had it in you. You arent one for jokes, Isaiah said.

Whos joking? But to get back to what I said earlier, we need more people. There needs to be more levels to our organization. We need more muscle than just you and Vivienne. Sending either of you to deal with a small dispute is beneath you both and an unnecessary use of excessive force. Rorschach is an incredible reconnaissance person and resource, but she could be even better if she had help. Kai probably doesnt need assistants; he needs a handler to watch over him. My point is, all of this could be better, smoother, bigger. We need capable people, I said.

Do you already have people in mind? Isaiah asked as we continued our slow trek.

Im going to ask V if shes got any promising people amongst her Skulls. Same with Kai, Rorschach, and you, all of you have been in the business for years, some of you for over a decade. But to answer your original question, Tuesday once told me about how the fight against Violet went. Two of the people you fought with, Amethyst and Oxxii, sounded promising. Their names have been in mind since I heard about their powers. Do you think we could recruit them, or would it be better to redistribute them?

He doesnt answer immediately, looking forward on the road, one hand on the clutch and another on the wheel. What kind of calculations are you doing? Do you disagree with my assessment? Is he considering whether the two of them are worth the effort? Not for the first time, Im wondering what my life would be like if I could read minds instead of having the ability to take powers. But telepathy isnt even real; it only exists in fiction and media. In the over two hundred years since the Big Bang, there have been no recorded cases of telepathy.

Unfortunately, being Constrictor left me unable to create any sort of meaningful connections, but Rorschach should know some people. Despite her crunchy, spikey, bitchy exterior, she is capable of talking to people nicely. Ill see if I cant find Oxxii and Amethyst, and Ill see how they feel about working a couple of jobs. Not permanently bringing them on, but a temporary thing to see if they fit, Isaiah said after a moment. You got any ideas for potential jobs?

Ill talk with Rorschach and get a list of targets drawn up, I said.

Got it. If I cant get them to join, Tuesday and I can hit them. You know that you can trust us. Well, you can trust me to rein in her partcular brand of insane. I can keep her focused and on task, Isaiah promised.

Somehow, I doubt that it is as easy as hes saying it is. I give him a look to illustrate how dubious his claim is. Noise from ahead has Isaiah and me rolling our windows down to figure out the source. The blaring cacophony of dozens of cars slamming on their horns fills the air. A sudden blast of air hits us, shaking the mustang as one of the cars in front of us explodes. What the hell? I take my mask out, putting it to my face, and then tap it with my ring. The sound of shuffling metal and expanding plates fills my ears as my head is encased in darkness for a moment before the helmet activates. My sight is returned to me as every inch of the front panels switches to display screens. With the helmet on, my vision is no longer obstructed by the fire and smoke. And because of that, I can see the twenty-foot red robot covered in all manner of weapons. The Cowl Ares, from Mount Olympus.

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